Mother Russia

by Bernice Rubens

A story of the love between Anna the daughter of Count Larionov and Sasha Volynin, son of a peasant, that flowers at the turn of the century and endures for most of its span. Their love conquers the pain of constant separations and overcomes the horrors of the Tsarist regime and the Revolution.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Russia

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Bernice Rubens was born in Cardiff, Wales in July 1928. She began writing at the age of 35, when her children started nursery school. Her second novel, Madame Sousatzka (1962), was filmed by John Schlesinger filmed with Shirley MacLaine in the leading role in 1988. Her fourth novel, The Elected Member, won the 1970 Booker prize. She was shortlisted for the same prize again in 1978 for A Five Year Sentence. Her last novel, The Sergeants’ Tale, was published in 2003. She was an honorary vice-president of International PEN and served as a Booker judge in 1986. Bernice Rubens died in 2004 aged 76.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the first three chapters I considered putting it down as it seemed like nothing other than a feeble romance but soon I was proved wrong; I enjoyed the book after the third or so chapter .It is a beauitful account of how love and real humanity overcome cruel totalitarian tyranny .I found it interesting following the lives of Sasha Volynin and the love of his life Anna ,their romance and the lives of their families-people such as the cruel party apparatchik Ivan Volynin and the tragic Katya,the brave and noble Pyotr and the zealous and robust guardian of the old Russia ,Nicolai. Later we read of the younger generation:Dmitri,Sonya,Natasha,Viktor,Vitya and Andrushka and we get a good idea of life under one of the most brutal regimes in history.

[Harold Zeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to find out what Russia was like during Stalin's reign and this book was right on. I would call it good historical fiction. While reading it, I checked on the historical references and found it to be accurate. I remember hearing about Beria and this book made him real for me, despite the fact that his behavior was fictionalized; I don't doubt that Beria actually did things like that. I had read a number of non-fiction books about Russia, but I feel this book filled in the holes for me. It is one of my favorite books.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘There are many ways of celebrating the turn of a century. Suicide is one of them.’

The novel opens with the suicide of Count Fyodor Larionov, a Russian landowner. Rumours of dissent by the workers on his estate and the threat of revolution have tipped him over the edge. It is a dramatic start to a novel which follows the lives of his daughter, Anna and her love for Sasha Volynin, the son of a peasant.

‘Who knows when the Russian Revolution started. It had throbbed for many terrible Tsarist years.’

From Tsarist excess to Communist excess, through the horrors of revolution, the novel spans much of the twentieth century. While following 20th century Russian history accurately, this novel focusses on the human capacities for love and endurance. The central characters, Anna and Sasha endure personal tragedy and many separations. While Sasha becomes a novelist and a poet, his brother Ivan becomes a Communist Party apparatchik. But revolutionary Communist idealism is quickly overtaken by opportunistic reality, by cruel dictatorship and paranoid suspicion. Who will survive, and at what cost?

This novel has sat on my shelf for far too long. When I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. What held my attention were the struggles of the main characters as their homeland changed around them: revolution, dictatorship and war. There are other characters as well: siblings and children whose lives are changed (or lost) during the span of the novel.

This is the first of Ms Rubens’s novels I have read. I read that her fourth novel, ‘The Elected Member’, won the 1970 Booker prize. She died in 2004.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Helen Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Enjoyed it very much. A must-read for everybody!

[October671]

Had this for Christmas - not got round to it yet.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, even though it was clearly a trashy novel, it was actually pretty historically accurate and very entertaining to this Russophile.